Mar 10, 2009, 12:50 am
Quote:Nilsen: A Mature Turkoglu Looking To Go One Better
One major star who will travel to EuroBasket 2009 in Poland later this year determined to make up for past disappointments at previous tournaments is Hidayet Turkoglu - the heartbeat of the Turkish National Team.
The Orlando Magic player produced some sensational individual performances at EuroBasket 2007 in Spain but couldn't prevent Turkey from underachieving again having also fallen short of expectations at EuroBasket in 2005.
Now on the verge of celebrating his 30th birthday later this month and having made his international debut a decade ago, 'Hedo' is now relishing having to shoulder the on-court responsibility of overseeing what many hope will be an exciting new era for Turkish basketball.
That was no more evident than during last year's qualification when Turkey emerged with an exemplary 6-0 record and as the only team to remain unbeaten with the versatile NBA star instrumental in that particular success.
While unrealistic expectation always remains a danger, that weighty dose of genuine Eastern promise last year means that things are shaping up quite nicely according to the man from Istanbul who will lead his country out in Wroclaw.
"It feels great, being a captain I get to take on an important role to help the team." explained Turkoglu.
"I was trying to lead them and make things happen to find the chemistry. I'm just happy it worked out well and we are on a good track right now."
"I really don't know where we will finish but we are going to try our best. We have a young team and we have a good chance right now so we are going to try our best to finish as high as we can. "
"Hopefully things work out well and we finish as the top team."
While Turkey may have shown during qualifying that they are not a team to be taken lightly by any of the tournament favourites, particularly after completing a double over the likes of France, 'Hedo' was quick to dismiss any talk of Group D being one of the easier of the groups.
Indeed with his vast experience, he is more than wise enough to insist from the outset that the Group stage will pose a significant challenge.
"I don't think it is (easy) because in the European Championship every team comes with one thing in mind and that's to win the title. "
"We take every game seriously, like we are playing in the finals."
"Poland plays at home, Lithuania has been in the European Championship, and Bulgaria is one of the teams that is on the rise so we just have to take care of our job."
If Turkey are to progress and to finally make the kind of impression that they crave then it won't just be Turkoglu who will have to show his vast talent and perform in Poland.
Much will also rest on the much younger shoulders of Ersan Ilyasova of Barcelona who averaged a blistering 13 points and almost 8 boards per game during qualifying. That meant that the forward took most of the plaudits while Turkoglu was only happy to add to them by tipping his team-mate to join him in the NBA.
"He has been good all his career and he played good in qualification so hopefully he can keep improving."
"He will get to the NBA one day but it's really all on him."
"As long as he keeps working hard and improving he will get there one day so I wish him the best."
Already idolised by the Turkish fans, ââ¬ËHedo' certainly raised not just his own but also the profile of his country generally last season when he was handed the accolade of Most Improved Player in the NBA after a stunning season for the Magic.
Most had predicted that there was no way he could continue playing to that level but he has barely dropped below it during the current campaign to continue flying the flag for his country by averaging an impressive 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
While his many supporters avidly follow his progress in Florida, the player himself has also spoken of the importance of those fans who he expects to make a big difference to the team in Poland.
Not only that, but 'Hedo' is also already preparing for what promises to be a dream homecoming for him next year in the 2010 FIBA World Championships when he is hoping that the team and the tournament will be cause for celebration across the nation.
"We need our fans especially in Poland, so hopefully they will be there cheering for us."
"We will get them behind us, start rolling with them and hopefully we will get a victory."
"Hopefully everything will work out next year, we will host it and it will be a really good experience for the whole country."
"Hopefully we will have a good team and make a big impact over there."
With the outlook on the court for both the Magic and Turkey looking bright, the only reason for any sleepless nights is the recent arrival of baby daughter Ela. Quite a way to celebrate the start of 2009 and you wouldn't bet against the all action star having more cause for celebration later in the year.
http://www.fibaeurope.com/coid_M5ZfFqinG...tpage.html